With all the conversation about who the Bucs next offensive coordinator will be, they are still looking for a special teams coordinator, too. The team announced on Wednesday that they have completed a virtual interview with Craig Aukerman for the special teams coordinator position. Aukerman was the Dolphins’ special teams coordinator last season.

This is the second interview that Tampa Bay has had with a candidate for the special teams coordinator role. They previously met with Jett Modkins on Saturday, January 10. With Miami parting ways with Mike McDaniel as head coach, it signifies that whoever becomes the next head coach of the Dolphins will bring in his own staff. This gives Aukerman the chance to pursue new opportunities.

He previously interviewed for the Bucs’ special teams coordinator position back in the 2024, but that was given to Thomas McGaughey, who Tampa Bay fired this offseason after two years in that role.

History Of Bucs’ ST Coordinator Candidate Craig Auckerman

Aukerman has been in the NFL coaching ranks for more than a decade, but began at the college level. He started out in the college ranks with roles at his alma mater Findlay as the wide receivers coach for a season, than was a graduate assistant at Miami of Ohio. Other stops included Western Kentucky as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach, then back to Miami Ohio as co-special teams coordinator and linebackers coach, followed by a season at Kent State as linebackers coach.

He finally broke into the NFL in 2010 as a defensive assistant for the Denver Broncos. The next two seasons were with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a defensive assistant followed by assistant special teams coordinator. He first became a special teams coordinator with the Chargers in 2016 for one season, then went to the Titans 2017 as an assistant special teams coordinator.

ST Coordinator Craig Aukerman – Photo by: IMAGN Images – George Walker IV

Aukerman spent multiple seasons as the Tennessee Titans’ special teams coordinator from 2018 to 2023. under head coach Mike Vrabel where his units were mostly consist among the league’s most disciplined and productive. It didn’t end well, though, as Vrabel fired him in December of 2023 following a game where the Titans had two punts blocked and their punter Ryan Stonehouse was injured for the rest of the season. During his time in Tennessee, Aukerman did coach punter Brett Kern to three Pro Bowls, and long snapper Morgan Cox to one Pro Bowl.

Following one season away from the game in 2024, he joined the Dolphins as their speical teams coordinator in 2025. Per Greg Auman of Fox Sports, the Dolphins special teams’ with Aukerman were fourth in field goal percentage, seventh in punt return average, 11th in kick return average and 23rd in opponent kickoff return average. These were all better stats than the Bucs had. The only better speical teams stat that the Bucs had over his the Dolphins was opponent return average where the Bucs were 10th and the Dolphins 16.

Bucs K Chase McLaughlin at Miami – Photo by IMAGN Images – Ray Seebeck

Aukerman also had a big game against the Bucs this season when the Dolphins were home. They blocked a Chase McLaughlin field goal and also had a second half kick return get over mid field putting Miami close to field goal range, which they eventually hit. It proved to be very significant as the Dolphins won by three with a final score of 20-17.

Bucs Special Teams Need A Vast Shakeup

It was obvious for several weeks before the end of the season that the Bucs needed an overhaul on special teams, specifically in their punt and kick coverage. There were a series of mistakes and errors committed by the Bucs on special teams that just could not be tolerated anymore.

ST Coordinator Craig Aukerman – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Kirby Lee

The Bucs need to stabilize and professionalize special teams after a season where hidden-yardage losses repeatedly put the offense and defense in difficult spots.Blocked kicks, uneven coverage, and inconsistency in execution plagued Tampa Bay at times, forcing the coaching staff to address problems weekly instead of building momentum. That’s not sustainable — and it’s clearly something the front office wants fixed.

Interviewing Aukerman shows they’re looking again for someone that has a lot of experience in this role for the 2026 season. We’ll see if he gets the role or what other interviews could be coming soon.